Programmed dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser particularly programmed to present a prescribed unit or different units for concurrent hospital procedures in response to a predetermined set of variables. The dispenser is of use in the dispensation of different pharmaceutical units at a specific time to a number of patients in a hospital ward and may also be used to concurrently dispense one or a number of different surgical units for a specific surgical procedure.

United States Patent 1191 Apr. 9, 1974 Shaw [ PROGRAMMED DISPENSER [76] Inventor: Joseph Denman Shaw, 508 Church St., Brownsville, Pa. 15417 221 Filed: Mar. 26, 1973 21 Appl.No.:344,990

521 user. .....221/5, 221/94 51 rm.c|...., 865g 1/00 [58] Field of Search.;.... 221/4, 5, 92, 94, 65, 85,

[56] i References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,752,359 8/1973 Shaw 221/94 6/l973 Kireta 221/94 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant ExaminerH. Grant Skaggs, Jr. v Attorney, Agent, or FirmWalter S. Murray [5 7] ABSTRACT A dispenser particularly programmed to present a prescribed unit or different units for concurrent hospital procedures in response to a predetermined set of variables. The dispenser is of use in the dispensation of different pharmaceutical units at a specific time to a number of patients in a hospital ward and may also be used to concurrently dispense one or a number of different surgical units for a specific surgical procedure.

8 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures PATENTEIIAPR 9 014 3,802,600

SHEET UF 4 PROGRAMME!) DISPENSER of variables. In one aspect of the invention the dis penser is adapted to present the proper number of medicinal units at prescribed times for a number of hospital patients, each requiring different medicines in differing amounts and at different times. In another aspect of the invention my dispenser serves to present the proper number of different instruments for a specific surgical procedure; each procedure requiring different sets of instruments in different amounts.

An object of the invention is to provide a simplified, yet positive acting unit programmed device especially designed for hospital usage in the dispensation of medicinal units, instruments for surgical procedures, and the like.

Other objects will become apparent from thefollowingspecification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,'like reference characters indicating like elements throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of my programmed dispensing device depicted in a 'coded but non-dispensing position; several wall portions being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a section taken through the longitudinal center of the device shown in decoded but nondispensing position.

FIG. 3 is a fragmental section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmental sections showing details of two selectors for the unit programmed dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1-4 of the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section showing a modified form of unit dispensing member for the device shown in FIG. l-6 of the drawings.

FIG. 8 is a section taken on line 88 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of'another modified form of my programmed dispensing device.

FIG. 10 is a fragmental section taken on line 1010 of FIG. 9. I

FIG. 11 is a section taken on line ll--l1 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a fragmental, front elevational view of a further modified form of my programmed dispensing device. 7 v I FIG. 13 isa section taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 19 is a section taken on line 1919 of FIG. 17 and turned 90 counterclockwise to the said FIG. l7.

' With reference to FIGS. l-6 of the drawings the numeral 20 is a rectangular cabinet having a number of open-ended compartments 21 contained therein. Each compartment is adapted to slidably receive through its open front a unit dispensing member 22 that includes at least one wall 23 spaced from a confronting interior surface 24 of the compartment 21 preferably by the provision of two, spaced apart side walls 25 and 26 joined to the said wall 23 and slidable upon the surface 24. As best shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings the wall 23 of each dispensing member 22 is provided with a number of laterally extending rows 27 and 28 of spaced apart holes, said holes preferably being spaced apart in the rows and calibrated to serve as time related coding means for each unit dispensing member 22. The rows 27 of laterally spaced apart holes comprise a set that is time related to the post meridian (P.M.) periods of the day while the rows 28 of laterally spaced apart holes serve as a set that is'time related to the ante meridian (A.M.) periods of the day, the lateral progression of all the rows of holes from right to left of the wall 23, as depicted in FIG. 4, being graduated to represent two hour periods in time, namely; the second, fourth, sixth, etc. hours of the day. The rows of holes 27 and 28 in each set are also longitudinally spaced apart on the wall 23 to represent the numerical amounts of units to be dispensed, it being noted that the unit number increases in each set in the direction from the front to the rear of the wall 23.

Each dispensing member 22 is encoded by removably positioning pin means 29 in the appropriate holes in the rows 27 and 28, said pin means depending from the wall 23 into the space between said wall and the interior surface 24.of the cabinet (FIGS. 2 and 3). It is to be noted that the pins have reduced ends 30 (FIG. 2) which frictionally engage in the holes and that the pins for the A.M. periods of the day are shorter and have smaller ends 30 than the pins for the P.M. periods of the day, as will be more fully understood hereinafter.

It will therefore be seen with reference to FIG. 4 of the drawings that ordinate axis coordinates are represented by rows 27 and 28 of spaced apart holes extending laterally across the wall 23 and are in this aspect of the invention calibrated to indicate time periods, such as the even numbered hours of -a twenty-four hour day while abscissa axis coordinates of the longitudinally aligned and spaced rows of the holes 27 and 28 are calibrated to represent the number of units to be dispensed from a particular member 22. Each member 22 also has the name of a patient affixed to itsfront face. A particular unit dispensing member 22 bearing a particular patients name may therefore be programmed to dispense a prescribed number of medicinal units at a predetermined time by inserting a coding pin means 29 in a single hole where the desired time-unit coordinates intersect on the wall 23. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the unit dispensing member on the left of said view is encoded to dispense one medicinal unit at four oclock in the morning and two units at ten oclock at night, while the dispensing member on the right of said view is programmed to dispense two medicinal units at twelve oclock, midnight.

Each dispensing member 22 has a number of unit receiving pockets 31 formed in a top wall 32 thereof, said pockets being uniformly spaced apart in a longitudinal row, the pocket spacing conforming to the distance between the rows of holes 27 and 28 in the wall 23 of the member 22. Each of the rows of pockets are in registry with the delivery end of a unit magazine 33 mounted on a top wall 34 of the cabinet 20, said magazine being adapted to hold a stack 35 of unit medication for dispensation.

A decoding case 36 is rectangularly shaped and is open at the front 37 to slidably receive the cabinet 20. A bottom wall 38 of the case has a lateral shoulder 40 formed at the rear portion which serves as a limit stop to establish the fully inserted home positionof the cabinet in the case. Side walls 41 and 42 of the case have vertical slots 43 and 44, respectively, formed in their rear portions to slidably receive a laterally movable selector 45 which has a number of decoding fingers 46 projecting forwardly into the case at right angles to the selector. The selector is intermittently operated in a time related sequence by means of a detent comprising a spring finger 47 (FIGS. and 6) mounted on the case and cooperative with a row of teeth 48 on an edge of the selector. The wall 41 of the case has a relatively wide elongated slot 49 formed therein in communication with the slot 43 to allow entrance of different selectors with different length decoding fingers positioned on two different levels into slidable, operative positions within the case.

With reference to FIGS. Sand 6 of the drawings and the dotted line showings of the decoding fingers 46 in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings it is to be noted that there is provided one decoding finger for each dispensing member and that there are two selectors, the AM selector depicted in FIG. 5 having shorter decoding fingers 46 than the fingers of the PM selector shown in FIG. 6, said AM fingers being also positioned on a higher level than the PM fingers. Thus the AM fingers are in a position to contact pin means held in the coding rows 28 of the AM set while the PM fingers are longer, will pass beneath the AM pin means and be in a position to contact the pin means in the rows 27 of the PM sets.

In operation pin means 29 are inserted in selected holes in each set of time-unit related sets of coding rows 27 and 28 in the wall 23 of each dispensing member, the pins for the AM hours of the day being shorter with smaller diameter friction ends than the PM hour pins, said differences in the diameters of the pins serving to preclude errors in the placement of the pins in the two sets. After each dispensing member has been programmed as to the selected hours and the number of units to be dispensed at said selected hours, the dispensing members 22 are fully entered into their respective compartments 21 in the cabinet 20. The required units of medication are then inserted in the magazine 33 for each dispensing member.

At timed intervals corresponding to the times calibrated on the walls 23 of the dispensing members 22 and on the selector 45, said selector is manually moved laterally into a sequenced time interval calibrated on the selector at 50. The cabinet is thereafter fully inserted into the decoding case and in the event a particular dispensing member has been programmed to dispense a unit or units at the selected time a decoding finger 46 will contact a pin means 29 and push the member out of the cabinet a distance corresponding to the coded pin placement which will take off one unit or the required number of units from the bottom of the magazine 33 and move them in the pockets 31 out of the cabinet to a dispensing position. Thereafter the cabinet is removed from the case and all displaced dispensing members returned to closed positions within the cabinet for the next time selected dispensing operation.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a modified form of unit dispensing member 51 which may be substituted for the unit dispensing member 22, said member 51 having the one wall 23 offset to provide an upper wall portion 52 and a lower offset wall portion 53. In this modification the same length of pin means 29 may be utilized for both AM and PM codings to cooperate with the AM and PM decoding fingers 46, as is illustrated by the dotted lines in FIG. 7.

Another modification of my invention is shown in FIGS. 9-11, inclusive, of the drawings which differs from the device illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 in that a single lateral row of time related coding means 54 is formed in the wall 23 of the dispensing member 22 to represent each of the AM and the PM hours of the day. Decoding fingers v55 for both AM and PM dispensing functions are stepped downwardly and forwardly from the selector 45 to provide unit dispensing shoulders 56 and 57 and an end 58 for the fingers. The shortest pin means selectively mounted in the proper hole in the coding means 54 will contact the shoulder 56 to dispense a single unit, an intermediate length pin means will contact the shoulder 57 to dispense two units while the longest pin means will contact the end 58 to dispense three units. As in the first described dispenser a short finger 55 at a higher level is provided the AM selector while a longer finger 55 at a lower level is provided the PM selector.

Now with reference to FIGS. 12-15 there is shown a different unit stacking and dispensing means for the invention depicted in FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings wherein the unit dispensing members 22 each have an open top 59 and a magazine 60 is provided behind a front wall 61 and within the member. A unit discharge opening 62 is formed in the front wall in line with the magazine and a number of resilient springs 63 are positioned across the opening and biased to normally resist discharge of a unit or'units from the magazine. The wall 23 of each dispensing member is provided with rows of coding means as in the device shown in FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings, said wall also having mounted thereon a stepped pusher member 64 which when operated and moved forward by the decoding means will push one or more of the units from the opening 62 against the action of the springs 63. i

In this modification the dispensing member 22 is held against movement in the cabinet 20 by a latch 65 to prevent relative movement between them when the cabinet is slid into the decoding case 36 so that the pusher member 64 may effectively operate to dispense the proper number of units from the magazine 60.

Now with reference to FIGS. 16-19, inclusive, there is shown a further modification of my invention wherein the numeral 66 generally refers to a rectangular cabinet having open-ended compartments 67 arranged in tiers, and each compartment adapted to slidably receive through its open front a unit dispensing member 68. Each member 68 has a wall 69 spaced by side walls 70 and 71 from a confronting surface 72 of its compartment, said member being open at the top for filling the member with dispensable units and the removal of said units from the member, when required. As illustrated in FIG. 19 the wall 69 is provided with a number of laterally extending rows 73 of spaced apart holes 74 calibrated laterally to designate different surgical procedures such as cholecystectomy, tonsilectomy, appendectomy, and the like procedures. The rows 73 are spaced longitudinally to represent units and each dispensing member is identified on its from wall by the name of a specific surgical instrument contained therein such as scalpels, hemostats, Allis clamps, Babcocks, sutures and so forth, the particular dispensing member being filled with a number of the named instrument. As in the device illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 each of the dispensing members 68 is procedure-unit encoded by removably positioning pin means 75 in the appropriate holes 74 in the rows 73.

A decoding case 76, open at the front, slidably receives the cabinet 66; a selector 77 being mounted for lateral sliding movement in the rear of the case. The case differs from the case 36 in that it has a number of vertically spaced slots 78 formed through a side wall 79 to permit entrance into the case of vertically spaced rows of decoding fingers 80 on the selector 77 corresponding to the tiers of compartments 67, so that one coding finger 80 on a selector 7 7 will be assigned to each dispensing member 68 in the cabinet.

Operation of this aspect of the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 16-19 of the drawings, is similar to the steps set forth with respect to the device illustrated in FIGS.

' l-6 of the drawings in that pin means 75 are inserted in selected holes 74 in each set of surgical procedureunit related coding rows 74 in the wall 69 of each dispensing member 68 each containing a number of like surgical instruments. After each dispensing member has been programmed and filled they are all fully entered into the compartments in the cabinet. As best shown at 81 in FIG. 18 of the drawings the selector 77 is calibrated with the names'of the surgical procedures.

. dispensing members68 therein is slid into the case 76 whereby certain decoding fingers 80 will contact pin means 75 on the programmed members and push said members out of the cabinet a desired distance indicative of the number of instruments to be taken from each of the decoded members for that procedure, said numbers being positively identified by numerical designations 83 (FIG. 17) marked on the. members and related to the front face of the cabinet as the numerical indicator.

The lower level selector or PM level may be designated for a different surgeon who uses a different set of instruments for a given procedure. This lower level selector is inserted and set at the required procedure, and the cabinet is inserted into the case. The longer dispensing finger 84 shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 17 and 18 will contact the longer pin 75 and the drawer will be pushed out the appropriate distance.

Many other unit dispensing operations can be performed with my device wherein a coded number of units are to be dispensed in response to a predetermined set of variables, such as the dispensation of different machine parts for a particular assembly and containing a number .of open ended compartments, a

unit dispensing member slidably receivable through an open end of each compartment, each said member adapted to dispense a number of identical units and having at least one wall spaced from a confronting interior surface of the compartment, a laterally extending row of spaced apart coding means formed on the one said wall of the member, a decodingcase adapted to slidably receive the cabinet, a selector mounted for intermittent lateral movement across the back interior part of the case, a number of decoding fingers on a major face of the selector and each finger positioned to project through theopposed open end of the cabinet and into the space'betwen the one said wall of each member and the confronting interior surface of the compartment, and pin means removably mounted in selected positions along the coding means to project from the one said wall and cooperative with-a decoding finger on the selector to slide the member a predetermined distance from its compartment when the cabinet is fully inserted into the case to place in dispensing positions a predetermined number of units in selected members. I

2. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein the coding means on the one said wall of the member and the selector are time related.

3. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein the coding means on the one said wall of the member and the selector are related to surgical I procedures.

4. The dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein the fingers have a step formation in longitudinal extension, and the pin means have different lengths for cooperation withthe stepped fingers.

5. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein a number of the laterally extending rows of coding means are longitudinally spaced on the coding means in the rows serve as abscissa axis coordinates and are calibrated to indicate numerical units.

7. The programmed dispensing device set forth in Y I claim 6 wherein two sets of rows of laterally spaced apart coding means are formed on the one said wall of the member, the pin means for each set have different lengths, an individual selector is provided for each set, and the fingers on each selector have different lengths and, are dispensed on different offset planes relative to the one said wall of the member.

8. The dispensing device set forth in claim 6 wherein two sets of rows of laterally spaced apart coding means are formed on offset portions of the one said wall of the member, the pin means of each set have uniform lengths, an individual selector is provided for each set, and the fingers for each selector have different lengths and are disposed on different offset planes with respect to the one said wall of the member.

age UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTEN Patent No. 3,802,600 Dated pril 9, 1974 lnvehtofls) Joseph Denman Shaw It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Change the title of the above noted Patent from "PROGRAMMED DISPENSER" to BOTTOM CODED PROGRAMMED DISPENSER.

Column 6, line 47 delete "item" and insert unit Signed and sealed this 13th day of August 1974.

(SEAL) Attest: I

McCOY M. GIBSON, JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A programmed dispensing device having a cabinet containing a number of open ended compartments, a unit dispensing member slidably receivable through an open end of each compartment, each said member adapted to dispense a number of identical units and having at least one wall spaced from a confronting interior surface of the compartment, a laterally extending row of spaced apart coding means formed on the one said wall of the member, a decoding case adapted to slidably receive the cabinet, a selector mounted for intermittent lateral movement across the back interior part of the case, a number of decoding fingers on a major face of the selector and each finger positioned to project through the opposed open end of the cabinet and into the space betwen the one said wall of each member and the confronting interior surface of the compartment, and pin means removably mounted in selected positions along the coding means to project from the one said wall and cooperative with a decoding finger on the selector to slide the member a predetermined distance from its compartment when the cabinet is fully inserted into the case to place in dispensing positions a predetermined number of units in selected members.
 2. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein the coding means on the one said wall of the member and the selector are time related.
 3. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein the coding means on the one said wall of the member and the selector are related to surgical procedures.
 4. The dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein the fingers have a step formation in longitudinal extension, and the pin means have different lengths for cooperation with the stepped fingers.
 5. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 1 wherein a number of the laterally extending rows of coding means are longitudinally spaced on the one said wall, the longitudinally spaced rows representing numerical units.
 6. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 5 wherein the laterally extending rows of coding means serve as oRdinate axis coordinates calibrated to indicate a selected unit, and the longitudinally spaced coding means in the rows serve as abscissa axis coordinates and are calibrated to indicate numerical units.
 7. The programmed dispensing device set forth in claim 6 wherein two sets of rows of laterally spaced apart coding means are formed on the one said wall of the member, the pin means for each set have different lengths, an individual selector is provided for each set, and the fingers on each selector have different lengths and are dispensed on different offset planes relative to the one said wall of the member.
 8. The dispensing device set forth in claim 6 wherein two sets of rows of laterally spaced apart coding means are formed on offset portions of the one said wall of the member, the pin means of each set have uniform lengths, an individual selector is provided for each set, and the fingers for each selector have different lengths and are disposed on different offset planes with respect to the one said wall of the member. 